Indonesian rescue authorities confirmed on Sunday the discovery of wreckage from a fisheries surveillance aircraft that crashed into a mountainside in South Sulawesi province, recovering one victim’s body from the devastating scene. The ATR 42-500 turboprop, operated by Indonesia Air Transport and chartered by the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, had vanished from radar contact Saturday afternoon during its surveillance mission.
Search and rescue operations involving approximately 1,200 personnel successfully located the fragmented remains of the aircraft scattered across the rugged terrain of Mount Bulusaraung near the Maros region. Initial helicopter reconnaissance teams spotted critical components including aircraft windows at 7:46 AM local time, followed by identification of the main fuselage and tail section minutes later.
Officials revised the passenger manifest downward from initial reports, confirming three fisheries ministry staff members and seven crew members aboard the ill-fated flight. The aircraft had been conducting aerial surveillance operations over fisheries before its scheduled arrival in Makassar, South Sulawesi’s capital.
Rescue efforts faced significant challenges due to persistently thick fog and the mountain’s treacherous topography. The recovered victim was located in a ravine approximately 200 meters from the mountain’s peak, while the condition of the remaining nine individuals remains unknown.
Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), characterized the incident as ‘controlled flight into terrain,’ indicating the pilot maintained aircraft control until impact. Aviation investigators have not yet determined the precise causal factors behind the crash, though experts note most aviation accidents result from multiple contributing elements.
The tragedy marks Indonesia’s first fatal ATR 42 accident since 2015, when another turboprop crashed in Papua province claiming 54 lives. Flight tracking data indicated the surveillance aircraft had been operating at low altitude over ocean waters prior to losing signal approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Makassar airport.